U.S. Official: Iran Commits to Permanent Nuclear Weapons Abandonment, but U.S. Requires Verification Mechanism

June 13 (CNN) — A top U.S. government official told reporters Friday that Iran has formally committed to never seeking or developing nuclear weapons, a move the official called a “major concession” from Tehran. Iran has made similar public pledges before, the official noted. “We are encouraged by their commitment not to produce nuclear weapons, but verification is critical — which is exactly how this agreement is structured,” the senior official explained. “It’s designed to put in place robust verification and inspection mechanisms, ensuring Iran doesn’t reap the benefits of negotiations until we confirm it has taken concrete steps to dismantle its nuclear program.” Past negotiations centered on timeframes of 10 or 20 years, requiring Iran to vow it would not develop nuclear weapons — but former President Donald Trump signaled this framework wasn’t sufficient for his administration. The official added the U.S. has no objection to Iran’s use of nuclear energy for civilian purposes. “We have no problem with Iran building civilian nuclear power plants,” they said. “What we oppose is the infrastructure that would let them pivot from civilian power generation to a nuclear weapons program — something they’ve held onto for a long time.”